Outgoing US Ambassador in Dhaka Earl Miller yesterday said the existing relations and support in the agricultural sector between the USA and Bangladesh will increase further in the days coming ahead.
“A deep relation is existed between the USA and Bangladesh’s agriculture sector. Bangladesh is the 26th agricultural market for the USA. The relations and cooperation to the agricultural sector will increase further in the future,” said the US envoy.
Miller came up with the statement when he paid a farewell call on Agriculture Minister Dr. Muhammad Abdur Razzaque at the latter’s office in the Secretariat here.
Agricultural Attach, in the US mission in Dhaka Megan M Francis was present at the meeting, among others.
During the meeting, they discussed different bilateral issues, including global economy, regional issues and recent sanction of US on Bangladesh’s law enforcement agency and its officials.
Highlighting Bangladesh’s unprecedented successes in the agriculture sector in the last 50 years, Razzaque said the USA has supported for development of the Agricultural Research System (NARS) in Bangladesh.
After the meeting, the minister told reporters that the US imposed the sanction on law enforcement agency officials not to punish Bangladesh but to warn against the violation of human rights.
“The US is attaching high importance on human rights. They lauded the Bangladesh’s success in eliminating militancy from the country. But they perceive that the law enforcers have violated human rights in some cases and that those need corrections”, Razzaque said.
The USA hope that Bangladesh would carry out the corrections, he added.
Replying to Miller’s observations, the minister said it was regretful that the US has put Bangladesh in the same category as North Korea and Myanmar.
“I told them that the human rights situation in Bangladesh is good. No human rights violation has happened here,” Razzaque added.
The minister said, “Since Bangladesh has tackled the militancy with iron hand, the law enforcement agencies may have made mistakes in some cases. And, 190 RAB officials faced punishment for that”.
